Thompson netted via the crossbar two minutes into injury time to snatch all three points and sink the Heart, who had grabbed an equaliser just minutes earlier.

The win lifts the Victory to third place and leaves the Heart third from bottom.

The Victory took the lead with Marco Rojas' 67th-minute goal - a wonderfully-worked move sweeping through Thompson, Gui Finkler and Mark Milligan before the New Zealander finished sweetly.

But the Heart looked to have earned a share of the points when skipper Fred, who had missed his side's two best chances of the match earlier, leapt high to meet a superb Michael Marrone cross and finish.

Then the Heart lost possession in the middle of the park in injury time.

Rojas grabbed the ball and sent a slide-rule pass to Thompson, whose shot hit the crossbar and crept just inside before Heart defender Aziz Behich thumped it out in vain.

With more than 26,000 watching on, it was a first half of desperate defence - four shots blocked, cleared off the line or deflected to safety in a spirited opening 45 minutes.

Fred had the Heart's two best chances, squandering a first-half opportunity on 32 minutes when he shot dreadfully from Behich's superb run to the byline and cross.

But he went within a coat of paint of a spectacular goal six minutes after halftime, controlling then thumping a wonderful long-range volley just wide of the top corner.

Heart attacker David Williams, who had terrorised the Victory defence all night, then could have won the game for his side five minutes from time with a thundering volley.

But Victory goalkeeper Nathan Coe made a superb diving save.

Williams then gave away possession for the move which led to Thompson's winner.

Heart coach John Aloisi lamented his side's lack of cutting edge having had the better chances in the match, but felt his team at least deserved a draw, if not all three points.

"We were the team that was trying to go for the win, and we lost the ball in a bad area and they caught us on the counter," Aloisi said.

"We felt we could go on and win the game. They showed really good character and spirit.

"They (the players) are distraught. But we've got a game in a few days against Wellington and we've got to pick ourselves up and get on with it."

The Heart will go into the match without central defenders Simon Colosimo and Patrick Gerhardt, who both picked up yellow cards to exceed their limit and earn automatic one-match bans.

Victory assistant coach Kevin Muscat - deputising post-match for coach Ange Postecoglou, who left immediately after the game because of a family bereavement - felt his side had done enough to deserve the points.

"I thought we showed great belief and we controlled the game for long periods," Muscat said.

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